The SureCount Surgical SmartTray™ System is designed to accommodate and advance Lean Six Sigma and 5S Manufacturing methodologies with a hospital’s supply chain, sterile processing, and surgical departments. SureCount Surgical advances the Lean Six Sigma methodology by focusing on defect elimination or waste. Waste is defined as an action in a step or process that does not add value to the customer.

8 Ways to Eliminate Waste:

  1. Motion — Reduce all unnecessary or wasted motion of employees related to the unused surgical instruments that are being needlessly recycled through every procedure.
  2. Waiting — Reduce unproductive time by streamlining the workflow process for surgical instrumentation.
  3. Unused Employee Talent — Better employee engagement through the improved training that the SmartTray™ System is designed to provide with visual and mechanical aids for instrument placement and correct counts.
  4. Inventory — Reduce the surgical instrument inventory by purging the obsolete and unnecessary instruments that are in constant circulation but seldom, if ever, used in a procedure.
  5. Defects — Reduce the instances of lost, missing, and dropped instruments, and incorrect and incomplete trays going to the OR or back to the SPD.
  6. Overproduction — The SmartTray™ System is designed to address the critical issue of instrument overload and the trailing efficiency and safety issues associated with the problem.
  7. Transportation — The SmartTray™ System will help streamline the instrument management processes to minimize unneeded movement and maximize institutional efficiencies.
  8. Non-Value Added Processing — The SmartTray™ System will reduce the substantial financial burden for the hospital by creating a new process for surgical instrumentation management focused on standardization of workflow practices and the ability for institutional customization for their specific instrument selection.

SureCount Surgical 5S Solution:

The philosophy of 5S methodology represents a way of focusing and thinking in order to better organize and manage the workspace, specifically by addressing the 8 areas of waste as defined by the Six Sigma Lean Manufacturing guidance.

  • Sort — The SmartTray™ System is designed to secure the essential instruments for every applicable procedure while eliminating the non-essential instruments.
  • Set — The SmartTray™ System creates an ergonomic, organized, and uncluttered workspace where staff have what they need close at hand and clear indicators on where every instrument goes.
  • Shine — The SmartTray™ is an FDA Class I device designed to facilitate cleaning and sterilization consistent with the institution’s protocols.
  • Standardize — The SmartTray™ System establishes a chain of custody and accountability between the SPD and Surgical Services for the essential instruments for each procedure.
  • Sustain — The SmartTray™ System supports a sustainable, repeatable practice in the SPD and OR which increases efficiency on every procedure. The SmartTray™ product is designed to have the same life cycle as comparable container systems.

SureCount Surgical SmartTray™ System:

The SureCount Surgical SmartTray™ System is engineered to take full advantage of Lean Six Sigma and 5S Manufacturing principles in a hospital’s supply chain, sterile processing, and surgical practices.

  • Simplicity — The SmartTray™ System is designed to provide a frictionless path for process improvement across several disciplines for surgical instrument management.
  • Safety — The SmartTray™ System is designed to improve surgical outcomes for patients as well as reduce surgical instrument workplace-related injuries for the staff.
  • Savings — The SmartTray™ System is designed to yield substantial savings on every procedure.
Lean Six Sigma and 5S Manufacturing methodologies for Surgery